Monuments of the West

by Nikki Wallschlaeger

First, the official narrative
requires official heroes,
strong men in service
to the Republics.
No matter what
these men must appear
to save the essence
right on time.
The official narrative
was never in
any real danger,
as someone pointed
out, gold as a metal
burns at temperatures
greater than wood.
The heroes do their jobs,
wages and health care
are secured, efficient.
As they come out of the
cathedral in the morning
light, the cross still glows.
The official narrative is intact.
All the secular governments
across the West bow their
heads in prayer.

Nikki Wallschlaeger’s work has been featured in The Nation, Brick, American Poetry Review, Witness, POETRY, and others. She is the author of the full-length collections Houses (Horseless Press 2015) and Crawlspace (Bloof 2017) as well as the graphic book I Hate Telling You How I Really Feel (2019) also from Bloof Books.